San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-08-19
THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER.
It's Present Conditlon-Work that is
Being homework Needed to
Save the RiVer-No Scarcity

| Save the River-No Scarcity
of Water.
10 settle satisfactorily, to itself at
least, the much vexed question OF the
| San Antonio river and those dOleful
prognostics Of water famine which
seems to alarm our sister cities, the
LIGHT on yesterday took tour OF OBJ
servation. The meanders Of the river
were quite closely followed for several
miles and its condition carefully noted.
The San Antonio river Is emphatically
like an office seeking politician "in the
hands of its friends" and If its friends
play ii false there may be little hope for
| IL In the sweet by-and.by. If Ii receives
| fair treatment and chance for Its life
there is not the remotest dagger Of its
present demise, nor OF its future
drying up so far as can be foreseen. The
river is undoubtedly very low. Lower
than has been noted for many years, but
this stage of the water seems to be the
result OF the process OF obstruction
which has been going on in the channel
| Of the stream for some years. These OBJ
struotions are partly natural, partly
| artificial. The artificial distractions
| such as dams, encrOachments upon the
water front, dumping solid and insoluble
| matter into the river, ETC., etc.-should
engage the immediate and earnest at
| tentiOn of the city council. The natural
| obstructons-the vegetable growths,
and accommodations of silt in the eddies
| and slack water pools, are being par
| TALLY removed under recent order OF
| council. This work Of cutting out the
| aquatic growth and removing the logs
| and brush which obstruct the channel
has been commenced under the super
| vision of the mayor, the river commits
| sioner being in immediate charge OF
the work. This service began in the
upper part of the city, just this side OF
the Breckenridge line, and will
be continued to the intersection
Of Mitchell street, in the clss-
steal precincts of Beanville. This
work has been completed as far down
stream az Seventh street, and seems to
have been carefully and thoroughly
done. All that can be effected in this
manner will be accomplished within the
expenditure of the 1900 so wisely APP
prOpristed by the council.
WORK IMPERATIvELY DEMANDED.
Closely following the line OF the river
and noting its alternating currents and
stsgnant pools, seeing also it's long
reaches Of slack water, thrown back by
the dams which a very short sighted
m IuIcipal policy has permitted to be built
difficulty is reached 10 the conclusion
that these dams are responsible for more
fifty, aquatic growths and Obstructed
river channel than all other causes com
bined When IL Is considered how much
filth ia daily emptied into San Antonio
river, how many tons OF rubbish are
dumped into IL every month, that in the
short space Of one mile over POO privy
vaults discharge their contents into this
river, that kitchens innumerable empty
all their refuse into it-One sees that the
charge, that 1t is an open sewer, 10 not so
much ora misnOmer after all. But it Is
a misnomer. 1t is not an open sewer, it
is an obstructed sewer. A sewer, across
which in five different places within a
distance OF three miles, a dam has been
thrown In order TO catch the filth, that
kindly nature IL left to her own resOur-
ces, would carry down stream and past
the city limits. No proper cleaning of
the San Antonio Is possible without
some provision for securing the bottom
of the river and carrying of the focal
matter and other refuse, the solid parts
of which sink to the bottom and are
finally lodged in these dam-traps. Eth
er these dams must be removed or gates
put in every last one of them which can
be opened as desired, and the river bed
along its entire length, from the water
works dam to the southern limits of
the city. 1t Is not exactly the province
of this article to discuss the right of any
party to construct a dam within the city
limits, although this right is very serious
ly questioned. 1t certainly is within the
power OF the council to abate a nuisance
and these circumstances should be
abated at once. either by ordering their
removal or by ordering the construction
of water gates, the stills OF which should
be foot lower than the bed the river.
By compelling the hosting of these
gates at stated intervals every week,
the whole bed OF the river would be
secured out and the accumulatioDs of
filth be disposed of as provided by nature.
This remedy, with the introduction Of
cement vaults and garbage furnaces.
thereby rendering unnecessary all use of
the river for domestic sewerage, would
be etfectual for all purposes of river
cleaning below the Breckenridge prop
erty. The attention of the city council
is urgently called to this matter of pro-
viding for the channel of this river a
free passage throughout the city limits,
either by demolishing the dams or by
compelling the owners to place regular
dock gates in their dams. The expense
vi luctc Bdlts lOI every udul III the OllN
would not cost to exceed $500, all told.
Did they cost ten times that amount,
however, it would not absOlve the coun-
ell of this city from the duty they owe
to the people. whose responsible servants
and agents they are.
CLEAN OUT THE SPRINGS.
No little has been said about the dry
ing up of the sources Of the rives. The
LIGHT takes no stock in this cry of alarm,
Streams, such as the San Antonio river,
rOunning through a limestone country,
particularly through a region with so
large an area OF gravel beds, are very
tickeish things to deal with. These
streams run, in many instances, under
ground for scores of miles and only come
to the surface, as springs, where the
conditions are favorable. The real
sources OF the San Antonio and the san
Pedro springs may be and probably are
many miles distant from their visi-
BILE sources in this city.
Under favorable conditions these
streams will continue to give forth their
pure waters at this point so long as their
original sources continue the supply.
But make the conditions unfavorable,
choke up the outlets, or let nature close
them by her tropical growths, and these
waters will seek some other outlet.
This Is inevitable destiny. These
springs at the head Of the river are being
| choked up. A thorough cleaning is nee
| essary In order to give free passage to
the water. The same thing has oc-
CURED in other streams in this vicinity.